Rooney refuses to extinguish his burning passion and insists he'll always be a bad loser

30 March 2009 05:59

Wayne Rooney has vowed that he will never lose his aggressive streak.
The Manchester United striker has been criticised for failing to control his temper on the pitch, but Rooney is adamant his combative approach has made him the player he is today.
He was labelled a 'crazy man' by England boss Fabio Capello for punching the corner flag after being sent off in United's 2-0 defeat at Craven Cottage earlier this month, but insists he will never change.
'I do get frustrated at times but aggression has always been part of my game,' Rooney told Nuts magazine.
'The desire to win makes me the player I am. Take that away and I'd be totally different. If I'm honest, I'll never get used to losing.'
Although just 23, Rooney already has 49 England caps and 21 international goals to his name and says it means 'absolutely everything' to pull on the Three Lions shirt.
He said: ' I still get shivers down my spine when I step out on to the pitch for England. To actually win something after so long would be totally amazing. And it's about time we did.'
The striker admitted England have under performed in recent years, but praised the impact Capello has had on a squad low on confidence.
Rooney said: 'With the players we've got playing in the Premier League, we should be challenging for major trophies. I know the boss sees that and wants to change it around.'
'We believe we can win every game and a lot of that does come from the manager. He's just brilliant.
'Having achieved all he has in the game, he knows what he wants from us and gets that across really well. Winning is the most important thing to him.'
England host Ukraine on Wednesday at Wembley, hoping to preserve their unbeaten record in Group 6 and move one step nearer to qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Rooney, who scored two goals in England's 4-0 friendly win over Slovakia on Saturday, said he was feeling positive ahead of Wednesday's match.
He said: 'Like a lot of the lads, I'm coming into these games with good club form behind me and that gives me a lot of confidence.
'The team spirit is great - everyone's laughing and joking, but we're determined to put on a good performance.'